Health Controversy: Is "Fitspo" Bad for You?

"Yes. Fitspo refers to images and words that women post with the purpose of inspiring themselves and others to live a fit, active life. Unfortunately, the images often portray dangerously thin, overly sexualized women with bodies that the vast majority of us will never be able to achieve. What's more, slogans like My weakness becomes my pain, and pain my pleasure' are often just as shaming as those used in thinspo, and I worry they could fuel the fire for people with eating disorders. A lot of fitspo is a thinly veiled version of thinspo, promoting the same obsessive tendencies and impossible appearance ideals, and that's a trap."

"It depends. Some fitspo out there is inspiring, but plenty of websites have horrible content that can sabotage women's self-esteem. I think it's great that certain sites decided to ban thinspiration, and I hope some of the worst fitspo messages will be taken down too. What I like about good fitspo—say, a picture of a healthy woman sprinting up a mountain or a slogan that reads, You're one workout away from a good mood'— is that it can motivate women to improve their health. But bad fitspo is more about comparing yourself to other women. If the fitspo you're looking at makes you feel defeated, it's not helping you. The key to succeeding in your goals is making your own realistic milestones and hitting them—not focusing on some girl in a photo."__

Ashley Borden, fitness and lifestyle consultant and coauthor of Your Perfect Fit: What to Wear to Show Off Your Assets, What to Do to Tone Up Your Trouble Spots

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__"No. When you're trying to develop the drive to get active and healthy, you need motivators, and pasting inspiring pictures on a board, online or otherwise, has really helped my clients. Saying that looking at pictures of fit people could trigger someone's eating disorder is like saying that that person is not safe in the world, because there are fit people everywhere! That said, I tell clients, Find images that show it takes work to attain your goals—like someone healthy jumping rope.' Women are smart. They know they won't grow six inches and sprout big boobs. But if looking at models motivates you to get to the gym, that can only be good in my mind."